Commentary: Freedom from Fear

Fear is a common human experience.  Fear is beneficial when it leads us to not take unnecessary risks, but often fear robs us of the life God created us to enjoy.  How can we experience freedom from our fears? That is the question I attempt to answer in this commentary at Paul's Ponderings.

I grew up on a farm in northwest Iowa. There is no better place for a boy to grow up than on a farm, there are so many different ways for him to explore his creativity, curiosity, and sense of adventure. The farm is a great place for a boy to learn to become a man.

Another benefit for me of growing up on the farm was the opportunity I had to face some of my fears.  One summer I had to face two of my greatest fears at the same time: heights and rats. We had a big white barn that was  infested with rats.  This type of infestation is not uncommon where you have large amounts of grain stored, a great source of food the the rodents.

I had developed a fear of rats after hearing an old radio show on Sunday at the Memories that was about a light house that was over run by these killer rats.  A story my uncle Phil told about a rat running up a person’s pant leg sent chills up my spine didn’t help matters.

That summer I was required to go into the barn, climb a ladder, walk along a 2×4, descend into the right bin, and shovel oats into a bucket to feed the horse.  I got a knot in the bottom of my stomach every time I went out to do this chore.

Continue reading Freedom from Fear » Paul's Ponderings.

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Commentary: Maybe We Don't Need to be Certain

While there is truth in the world, there is also mystery.  Christians need to allow room for both and create environments that are safe for people to struggle with doubts and wrestle with Scripture.  That is the point behind this commentary at Paul's Ponderings:

“And frankly, the church sounds so certain about everything.  There seem to be no maybes at all.  We act as if we have it all down.  We’ve got all the answers.  If you’re confused, just come to us because we have it all mapped out.  Sometimes it’s as if there is no mystery to God or the gospel, yet Paul speaks of it as a mystery.  And the last time I checked the God of the Bible was still the invisible God.” Erwin McManus, An Unstoppable Force, p. 59 

Christians worship a God of truth.  Jesus claimed to be the way, the truth, and the life.  We can’t escape the reality that there is truth in this world waiting for us to discover.  This truth about God, the universe, and life is all around us and comes at us in many different ways.

Yes, truth is discovered in the Bible.  It is also found through the use of the scientific method and philosophy.  We encounter truth through relationships, songs, and stories.  It is possible to discover and know truth.

The reason I remind us of the reality of truth is because I don’t want you to misunderstand what I am about to say.  It is okay to be uncertain, to not know the answer, and to struggle with doubts.  In the end you might even discover that there isn’t an answer to every question and that mystery pervades much of life.

Finish reading Maybe We Don't Need to be Certain » Paul's Ponderings.

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From Evernote:

Philosophy of Discipleship

What is a disciple? A disciple is a person who is passionate about becoming like Jesus Christ. Jesus said; "Students are not greater than their teacher, and slaves are not greater than their master. Students are to be like their teacher, and slaves are to be like their master. " (Matthew 10:24-25a; NLT). The apostle John wrote; "Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did." (1 John 2:6; NLT). Being a disciple is not just about attending classes and learning the right doctrine, but it is about how we live. The disciple of Jesus Christ adjusts his/her life to be more like Jesus.

What is the role of a disciple in the church? Disciples are the core of the local church family. They provide the service, sacrifice, and leadership to make ministry happen. These people spend time praying for the church family and specific individuals. They show concern and compassion for fellow believers and look for opportunities to impact the lives of non-believers. Disciples provide the godly wisdom and leadership the church family needs as they try to be a positive influence in their community. Most importantly is that disciples provide examples for other people to follow. People can look at them and discover what it means to be a Christian. Healthy churches are built on mature and strong disciples.

What is discipleship? Discipleship is the intentional process of making disciples. Jesus left the church with this charge; "Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you." (Matthew 28:19-20a, NLT). The church is to be intentional about making disciples, and while the process might look different from church family to church family, one thing is for certain: effective discipleship doesn't happen by accident.

What role does discipleship play in the church? Discipleship is the most important ministry of the church family. It ensures the health of the church family going into the future as well as enables the church family to have influence in the community. While a few people are able to mature in faith based on their personal discipline, most of us need help, encouragement, and direction in order to continue to mature. Discipleship makes sure that the people who compose the church family have the opportunity to mature in faith and thus strengthen the ministry of the church family.

My Philosophy of discipleship: The Church is in the disciple-making business. It is what Jesus called us to do (Matthew 28:18-20). Discipleship must be a priority for every church family. How is discipleship accomplished? Looking at the ministry of Jesus I believe that we can discover three components that are essential to every discipleship program:

1. Discipleship is founded on prayer. In his gospel, Luke tells us that Jesus prayed before He chose His twelve apostles (Luke 6:12, 13). We also read in John's gospel that Jesus prayed for His disciples the night He was betrayed (John 17:1-26). Jesus demonstrates for us that prayer is essential for Christian discipleship.
2. Discipleship happens through teaching. Jesus' ministry was primarily a ministry of teaching (Matthew 4:23). Faith begins with knowledge. Knowledge is transferred through teaching. For people to become like Jesus they need to know how Jesus lived and how Jesus wants them to live. Personal and group study must be part of a disciple's life. An effective discipleship program will provide opportunities for people to know God's Word. For people to adjust their lives to God's will, they first need to know what God's will is.
3. Discipleship results in ministry. There came a point in Jesus' ministry when He sent out His disciples to do the work of ministry. In Luke 9:1-6 we read that Jesus sent the Twelve out to do mission work and then in Luke 10:1-16 we read how He sent out seventy-two chosen disciples to carry out His ministry. It is through participating in ministry that we are able to experience God at work in and through our lives. Effective discipleship programs provide opportunities for people to do ministry (inside and outside the church family). Ministry provides disciples the opportunity to do God's will.

Discipleship programs can take on different forms based on a church family's needs and resources, but prayer, teaching, and ministry must be present for discipleship to happen. To these three components I think there are two principles that must be added. These principles are faith and patience. We have to have faith that when we are committed to the discipleship program that the Holy Spirit will work in people's lives. We also have to be patient and not get frustrated when things don't change as fast as we would like. It took three years of ministry for Jesus to get His rag tag group of disciples ready to lead His church. We can't get discouraged because God isn't working on our time table. We have to be patient while we trust that He is at work in the church family maturing people into disciples.

Starting the Process

"Spiritual formation in Christ is an orderly process.  Although God can triumph in disorder, that is not his choice.  And instead of focusing upon what God can do, we must humble ourselves to accept the ways he has chosen to work with us.  These are clearly laid out in the Bible, and especially in the words of and person of Jesus." ~ Dallas Willard, Renovation of the Heart (2002), p. 10

Life is so much easier when you go with the flow.  It takes so little effort.  The problem is that you are at the mercy of where the current takes you.  So many Christians lack spiritual maturity because we simply went with the flow and never disciplined ourselves to truly becoming like Jesus.

God, in His graciousness, has still brought healing to our hearts and transformation to our lives.  We should thank God for the work He has done in our lives, even when we have not lived up to our side of transformation.

The reality that confronts us as we talk about spiritual formation is an avoidance of any appearance of  salvation by works.  What is emphasized is faith, which usually gets boiled down to what we believe.  When this happens the most important thing we can do is to believe the right things and let God take care of the rest.  Then the issue becomes what are the "right" beliefs we are to have, and so fighting for "truth" and correct doctrine are among the most important things we can do.

The way I see it is that while truth is important, and we should always base our beliefs on what we know is true, that is not what Biblical faith is all about, nor is it the foundation for spiritual formation.  Much more foundational to Biblical faith are the ideas of trust, commitment, and obedience.  These ideas always come out in the way we live our lives, and thus always look like works.

Since spiritual formation is an orderly process then there must be a beginning.  The beginning of spiritual formation is repentance. Repentance was central to the message Jesus preached; From then on Jesus began to preach, "Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near" (Matthew 4:17; NLT). 

Repentance isn't just feeling sorry and confessing our sins, rather repentance is changing our loyalties.  Sin is rebellion against God and His Kingdom, and therefore through our sin we have pledge our allegiance to Satan and his kingdom.  Repentance is declaring that our loyalties are now changed, and we are now loyal citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven.  This change of loyalty is absolutely crucial to spiritual formation.

There are other steps that we must go through in this process, and at times it will look different for each of us, but it always begins with repentance.  Repentance, at is core, is an act of faith. It is through repentance that we declare our belief, trust, and commitment to God.

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Treating Marriage with Honor

"Marriage involves incredible potential for happiness, but there is also an enormous risk of failure.  When two people fall in love and decide to spend the rest of their lives together, they can create unsurpassed joy for themselves and their children—or unspeakable havoc for everyone involved." ~ Neil Clark Warren, Finding the Love of Your Life (1992), p. 1

Marriage is full of potential to bring about good and wonderful things.  We have to keep in mind that if marriage is not treated with respect, care, and love it will turn ugly.  For marriage to be the wonderful blessing God intended it to be requires the love, trust, and sacrifice of both people involved.  Good marriages do not magically happen, but they are the result of hard work, unconditional love, steadfast commitment, and continued trust in each other.

Though we have been told about the hard work of marriage before many of us still approach marriage lightly.  We have this mistaken belief that love is all that we need.  While romantic love is exciting and essential for a great marriage it is not the bedrock on which a marriage should be built.  

Since there is so much riding on our marriages, not only the great potential for happiness that exists, but also the devastation that is possible, it is essential that we get this right.  Marriage deserves more planning and effort than just getting ready for the wedding ceremony.  

The writer of Hebrews wrote; "Give honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage. God will surely judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery" (Hebrews 13:4; NLT). This passage reveals the persistent problem our culture has with marriage and the reason so many marriages never experience the incredible potential marriage has.  

As Christians we are to honor marriage.  This isn't a command to oppose same sex marriage, rather it is a reminder that God has a purpose behind marriage.  Marriage didn't originate with us, but with God.  If our marriages are to realize the incredible potential they have in bringing happiness and joy into our lives, then we need to turn to God to discover the purpose behind marriage.

First we need to realize the purpose of marriage is not about making us happy.  Yes, marriage has an incredible potential to bring happiness into our lives, but that is not its purpose.  When we make our happiness the purpose behind marriage we will be disappointed.  The reason for that disappointment is because no one person can satisfy all our needs and heal all our wounds.  To place that burden on the person we married means to set our marriage up for failure, because they do not have what it takes to meet all our needs.

Second we need to realize that marriage is not just a stage of life.  I think we have treated marriage as a stage on the natural progression of life.  So we go to school, go to college, get a job, and when everything is in place it is time to get married.  What this has led to are people who are so absorbed in "me" that they really don't have room for "we."  An example of this can be found in this letter asking for advice.  Here is the key paragraph from the letter:

I've recently had two men approach me in fellowship-that-seemed-to-be-going-somewhere, but everything suddenly stopped when they saw my fully furnished apartment, heard that my car is paid for, and heard about my future schooling and vacation plans. Then each of them backed away. I actually thought they would be interested in the fact that I have a life.

What this woman failed to realize is that when she talked about her future plans it scared the guys away because there wasn't room for "we."  Marriage is the blending of two lives together which will require greater sacrifice the older you get and the more developed your life plan becomes, because you simply will not be able to do everything you want to do.

Third, we need to realize marriage is a partnership in building for the Kingdom of God.  This harkens back to our original design.  God created people to be stewards of creation, and He created men and women to be partners in this effort.  Marriage is the partnership we form to enable us to do our part for God's Kingdom.  Ultimately we discover joy, happiness, and love, not when we make them the purpose of marriage, but when we dedicate our marriages to the service of God's Kingdom.

Marriage has a great potential for good or for evil.  That is why it is important that we treat marriage with honor.  As we surrender marriage to God's original purpose we open our lives up to experience the tremendous joy it has to offer us.

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Seek Contentment in God's Kingdom

Protect Your Heart: Part 1

One of the dangers found in the culture of dating our society accepts is a broken heart.  While it is impossible to be involved romantically with a person without getting hurt, it is possible to reduce the sting and prevent long term damage.  To do this we have to keep circumstances and relationships in proper focus.

First, remember romance and marriage are not essential for happiness or being a faithful follower of Jesus. We can have a full, productive, and satisfying life following Jesus without a romantic relationship.  It is my belief that one of the things which rob so many Christians of joy during the season of singleness is the obsession of being in a relationship.

I know that was my experience.  Rather than using that time in my life to mature, to prepare for marriage, and to use my time building for God's Kingdom; I used it fretting over the fact that I was single.  Every event, even things like helping with church camp, began to take on this anticipation that maybe this is where I would meet my future wife.  Instead of keeping my focus on where it needed to be, I was thinking about possibilities.

Even the couple of times I was in a relationship, before I met my wife, I couldn't freely be myself because I had to do everything I could to hold on to the relationship.  I did this because I thought those relationships might be my last chance at "happiness."

During the two years between my last break up and meeting my wife I did a lot of praying and soul searching.  This is one of the truths that stood out to me as God brought healing to my heart: You don't need to be married to be happy.  The breakthrough came for me roughly two months before Jenny and I met.  I had a dream and in the dream I was older with my dog Barkley as my only companion, and I was content.  A dream that would have at least saddened me before, if not frightened me, gave me hope.

So many single Christians need to arrive at this point and realize that their lives are more than a relationship.  What brings significance, hope, contentment, and joy to their lives is a life lived following Jesus.  I know this is easier said than done, because I have been there, but it can be done.

I want to remind you of the words of Jesus:

 Jesus replied, "Moses permitted divorce only as a concession to your hard hearts, but it was not what God had originally intended. And I tell you this, whoever divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery—unless his wife has been unfaithful." 

  Jesus' disciples then said to him, "If this is the case, it is better not to marry!" 

 "Not everyone can accept this statement," Jesus said. "Only those whom God helps. Some are born as eunuchs, some have been made eunuchs by others, and some choose not to marry for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven. Let anyone accept this who can" (Matthew 19:8-12; NLT).

Now it is important to remember that this happened within the context of a discussion on divorce.  Because of the high value Jesus put on marriage and commitment the disciples believed it would be better not to marry.

Jesus is not saying that marriage is wrong or sinful, but he is pointing out that there is a higher goal in life, and that is God's Kingdom.  When we seek the Kingdom above everything else we will discover that God will provide everything that we need for life (Matthew 6:33).

In order to protect our hearts we must first set our hearts on what we is the most important: The Kingdom of Heaven.  That is where we will find the joy, hope, and contentment our hearts truly need.
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Created to Crave: Part 13

We Crave Meaning

I don’t have to tell you that we live in a broken world.  Every day as I read the news I come across at least one story that starts me praying as I wonder how something so awful could happen.  How could a parent kill his/her children?  Why does a young college student have to die?  Why does rape and sexual abuse occur?  Why are there so many people suffering from starvation or from terminal illnesses?

I would bet if I asked, you would be able to give me personal account of suffering.  None of us can go through life unaffected by the problem of evil.

Our difficulty is trying to reconcile suffering and a loving God.  We want to believe, but all the bad which happens around us seems to make believing impossible.  We crave to find some meaning to life and the bad things that happen to us.

Here is the question I would like you to consider today: How do you make sense of the world?

He Gave Himself

In my humble opinion the greatest way we can communicate love is to give ourselves. That requires a sacrifice of our time, of our agendas, and of our money so we provide that person we love what they need most. It isn't simply buying flowers to say I am sorry, but actually showing repentance and forgiveness. It isn't indulging your child with every want, but making sure you spend time with him so you can positively influence his life. Without giving of ourselves we are unable to truly communicate our love to others.

In order to show His love for us, Jesus, gave Himself for us. It was a sacrifice that echoes through history and echoes into eternity. It is because of this sacrifice which provides so much hope for the follower of Jesus Christ. Read what the apostle Paul wrote as he began his letter to the Galatian Christians:

1 From Paul, an apostle (not from men, nor by human agency, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead) 2 and all the brothers with me, to the churches of Galatia. 3 Grace and peace to you from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be glory forever and ever! Amen. (Galatians 1:1-5; NET)

Paul begins by presenting his authority to write to them. He is an apostle, appointed by God through Jesus Christ, and therefore stands as His representative. Not only is he writing from a position of authority, but he is writing with the approval of the Church. Paul's position is strengthened by the weight of church doctrine.

The Apostle reminds them that they received both grace and peace from God, through Jesus, and therefore everything that Paul has to tell them should be filtered through that reality. They are recipients of grace because they have been redeemed and given a place in God's family. This has nothing to do with the things they have done, but has everything to do with what Jesus has done.

They are recipients of peace because no longer are they living as enemies against God, now they are counted as His sons and daughters. They have moved from enemies to family and therefore no longer at war with the Creator. Peace from guilt, meaningless, and shame begins to reign in their hearts. This is the reality that they have begun to experience.

Paul tells us this reality is due to one thing: the sacrifice of Jesus. I want to stop and camp out for a moment in verse 4. What Paul is writing about evidence that God loves us. It shows us that He is willing to do whatever it takes to have a relationship with us. I like what Don Earl Boatman wrote in his commentary concerning this verse:

"He gave: Not gold, not a paschal lamb, not an angel, but self. Not a moral code, nor a new political scheme, but self. He could have sent twelve legions of angels. He gave himself humbly. He gave himself by the laws of Sacrifice, Ransom, and Justice...He did not give himself for a crown, a kingdom, or our goodness, but for our sins." (Guidance From Galatians, p. 18)

To be honest with you I don't understand how Jesus' death deals with my sins. It is a mystery to me, but I do know that I have experienced God's grace and peace. I don't know the mechanics of it, but I know the reality of it. No longer am I bound to the evil world in which we live, but I am fear to pursue God's will.

Jesus gave Himself and that sacrifice still declares the love God has for us. We did not personally witness that sacrifice, but every Christian is the product of someone who did. The death and resurrection (which gave meaning to Jesus' death) spurred a handful of disciples to declare God's love to a hostile world. Those effects are still felt in each new person who surrenders their lives to Jesus. The way we know God loves us is through the sacrifice of Jesus.

When we experience the love of another person, especially when it done at a great cost to them, we cannot help but return that love. We make time for them in our schedules and do nice things for them. That is exactly the reaction we should have for God because of the love He has shown to us through the sacrifice of Jesus. Worship is the way we love God. I think that is the least that we can do.

The Pathway to Change

Influence is the way we bring about change in others. This is true not only for us personally but also for communities and nations. The change we long to see happen in the lives of other people, in our communities, in our churches, and in our nation begins with our influence.

One of the killers of influence is power or authority. When we seek to bring about change based on our power or the position we hold we will ultimately fail to see the results we hoped to have. People may adhere as long as we are there to enforce obedience, but they will not comply when our backs are turned. A change of heart can’t take place by force and resentment quickly replaces any influence we may have had.

Looking at the life of Jesus we notice He sought to bring about change based on influence. He is the one person who could have rightly demanded obedience and yet He sought to influence people by showing them respect and compassion and then providing them with a choice.

Nicodemus, the woman at the well, the apostles, and Zacchaeus (just to name a few) are people who were influenced by Jesus and decided (except Judas) to give their lives to Him. By showing them respect and compassion Jesus was able to allow these people to discover who He really was.

What we find in Jesus in in stark contrast to what we read in the Old Testament. The Ten Commandments and all the other laws given to direct Israel’s daily life could not bring about change. These people continually turned away from God, even after witnessing awesome displays of His power.

Perhaps this is one of the reasons the writer of Hebrews wrote: If the first covenant had been faultless there would have been no need for a second covenant to replace it (Hebrews 8:7; NLT). This doesn’t mean that God made a mistake by establishing the first covenant. One of the things it does mean is that God was trying to show us the inadequacies of the ways we want to do things. Law cannot bring about salvation and Power cannot change a person’s heart. God wants us to realize that every other way is inferior to the way of Jesus.

Jesus’ way to bring about change is not about power, but humility and service. It isn’t about authority but about influence. It is the way of the Lion who became a Lamb who was Killed (Revelation 5:5,6). Jesus gave up His power and gave His life away in order to influence people so that they might choose to change.

Change is not going to happen as the result of laws and political power, but through the influence brought about by humble and compassionate service. We will only see the change we want to happen in this country when we trust God enough to do it His way. The way of the ballot box and political clout is the way of the world, the path of Jeus is influence due to giving our lives away.

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Story and Truth Telling

John Eldredge in his little book Epic quotes Neil Postman (Science and the Story That We Need):

“In the end, science does not provide the answers most of us require. Its story of our origins and our end is, to say the least, unsatisfactory. To the question, ‘How did it all begin?’, science answers, ‘Probably by an accident.’ To the question, ‘How will it all end?’, science answers, ‘Probably by an accident.’ And to many people, the accidental life is not worth living.”

More than facts and figures or philosophies and propositions what people need is a story. A story which will help them make sense of their lives and gives them a purpose for their life.

For all the good science has given us through out the years it has failed to deliver what most people hoped that it would: answers to life's toughest questions. Science can dissect things and explain why things work the way they do, but science is incapable of telling us why these things are here. Science can help us count the stars, but can't tells us why the stars are there. Science can explain what life needs to survive, but not why life is even here in the first place. The answers provided by science mean little when there is no hope for tomorrow.

Part of the reason our culture shifted from a modern mind set, with its foundation being the scientific method, to a post-modern mind set, with its foundation being relativistic experience, is because of science’s failure to answer the deepest questions people have. Science can give us drugs to feel better, give us technology to make our lives easier, and provide theories on how the universe works, but it can’t provide us meaning for our lives. Divorced from it’s theologically underpinnings, science has proven to be of little help in our journey to understand “why?”.

For centuries it has been story, myth, and legend which have helped people understand their place in universe. The modern person believed they had come to a place where they were above all the superstitions of the primitive person. He turned his back on the stories and only to discover that science was unable to answer his questions. He was left without hope and without meaning.

Yes, I agree that stories seem to be a strange place to discover the meaning of life, except for the fact God decided to communicate to people through story. The Bible is ultimately the story of God working throughout history. The Church is God’s story as He continues to work in this world.

The modern person missed out on so much of what the Bible said because, like any good scientist, they dissected it into parts. Parts of it were taught and preached, but often the whole was forgotten. The preacher focused on a proposition or a truth, rather than the whole story of God.

If we are going to touch the post-modern person we have to go back to the story. The post-modern has already experienced the failure of science. They are tired of proclamations of fact and philosophies. They want something that will give their lives meaning and bring hope to their hearts. They are bored of the technology and long for transformation.

So Joshua called together the twelve men and told them, “Go into the middle of the Jordan, in front of the Ark of the LORD your God. Each of you must pick up one stone and carry it on your shoulder—twelve stones in all, one for each of the twelve tribes. We will use these stones to build a memorial. In the future, your children will ask, ‘What to these stones mean to you?’ Then you can tell them, ‘They remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the LORD’s covenant went across.’ These stone will stand as a permanent memorial among the people of Israel” (Joshua 4:4-7; NLT).

Throughout the Old Testament we read similar things, about people setting up reminders of what God had done. From these stone memorials to the ceremonies and traditions of Ancient Israel came opportunities to tell the Story of God to the next generation.

If we hope to impact this generation then we need to stop looking at the Bible as a text book providing us with information for more effective living and start using the Bible to tell people God's story. How do you communicate to Truth to people who have harden their heart to truth? You tell them a story and allow the Holy Spirit to come through the back door of their heart with the truth they so desparately need to hear.

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Making Sacrifices

What sacrifices am I making to follow Jesus?

Think about that question for a while. I mean it, take a few moments right now and consider what sacrifices you are making in your life that would qualify you to be Jesus disciple. Remember Jesus said:

“If any of you want to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24; NLT).

One of the ideas of shouldering your cross is the idea of sacrificial service. So the question is still out there for you to consider: What sacrifices am I making to follow Jesus? To put it another way: How am I shouldering my cross? Take a few moments on ponder this question…

A Covenant Relationship

God deals with people through the use of covenants. Carl Ketcherside in his book The Death of the Custodian wrote:

The fact is that God has chosen to relate to man on the basis of covenants. He is a covenant-making God. No one who ignores this fact will ever grasp God’s plan and purpose in any age (page 15).

I want to throw this idea out to you: We have a covenant relationship with God and not just a personal relationship with God. Yes, I understand we view marriage as a covenant relationship and that relationship is also a personal relationship, but God’s covenant is not just for an individual person, but it is for a people. 1 Peter 2:9 reminds us:

But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are a kingdom of priests, God’s holy nation, his own possession. This is so you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light (NLT).

This means we are in this together. We have a responsibility to and for each other. None of us should try to walk the journey of faith alone. It is important that we help each other as much as possible because our lives are linked (whether we like it or not).

I bring this up because I think our focus on a “personal” relationship with God sidetracks us from what God has really called us to be—a covenant people. Leon Morris in The Atonement wrote:

It mattered intensely to Old Testament Israel that the nation was in covenant relationship with the one and only God. All its thinking and living revolved around this fact (pg. 22).

Sure Israel is not a great example of covenant faithfulness, but I still have to wonder what the church would be like if our thinking and living revolved around the reality that we are in a covenant relationship with God. Should this reality (being in a covenant relationship with God) change our thinking and the way we “do church”?

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I Hope You Don't Burn in Hell!

Several years ago I was at a meeting with other youth ministers planning a week of camp. During the meeting we discussed how we could do a better job at holding the campers accountable for the commitments they would make during camp. One of the other youth ministers said this:

“I am the type of guy that if someone doesn’t live up to their commitment to God I hope they burn in Hell.”

I remember sitting there shocked that he would say something like that, and even more shocked than no one else challenged him on his statement. Is this really the attitude that we as Christ-Followers should have? To me it sounds contradictory to what we find on the pages of the Bible. Consider these passages:

{22} Show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. {23} Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. There are still others to whom you need to show mercy, but be careful that you aren’t contaminated by their sins (Jude 22, 23; NLT).

{19} My dear brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wonders away from the truth and is brought back again, {20} you can be sure that the one who brings that person back will save that sinner from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins (James 5:19-20; NLT).

{1} Dear brothers and sisters, if another Christian is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. {2} Share each other’s troubles and problems, and in this way obey the law of Christ. {3} If you think you are too important to help someone in need, you are only fooling yourself. You are really a nobody (Galatians 6:1-3; NLT).

It seems clear to me that rather than hoping a person burns in Hell for not living up to their commitment we are to do our best to restore that person to a relationship with the local church family and with God. We have a responsibility for the lives of other people. According to the Apostle Paul when we don’t share in the burdens and problems of others we are not obeying the law of Christ.

Being a Christ-Follower means being a part of a community. The New Testament is much more concerned with the community’s relationship with Christ than with the individual’s relationship with Christ. If we get so caught up in our own “personal relationship” with Jesus that we neglect other Christians then we are not being true to what following Jesus is all about.

It is the person who is working so hard on their relationship with Jesus that can say what my youth minister friend said so long ago. Why? Because if other people aren’t putting the same amount of effort into their commitment as they are then those slackers aren’t worthy of Heaven.

When we spending time helping, ministering, and serving others we begin to develop compassion for them. We realize the obstacles they face as they try to live out their faith and the difficulties in their lives that hinder their relationship with God. Our hearts begin to beat like Jesus’ heart when we reach out to other people, especially other Christ-Followers.

We need to take some time and evaluate our lives. Do I find it easy to judge people who don’t live up to my standard of what a Christian should be? Do I spend time helping other people? How have I shown compassion to someone who is struggling with life? A relationship with Jesus is more than believing the right things; it is also about doing the right things.

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Finding Our Place in the Story of History

“The Gospels contain a fairy-story, or a story of a larger kind which embraces all the essence of fairy-stories…But this story has entered History and the primary world; the desire and aspiration of subcreation has been raised to the fulfillment of Creation.” ~ J.R.R. Tolkien; The Tolkien Reader

“The heart of Christianity is a myth which is also a fact…It happens—at a particular date, in a particular place, followed by definable historical consequences…By becoming fact it does not cease to by myth: that is the miracle.” ~ C.S. Lewis; Mere Christianity

The power of story is great. It has the power to make us believe things that we never would have thought possible, to dream things that are bigger than ourselves, and to understand the desire of our hearts. For both Tolkien and Lewis it was story which gave real meaning to the world.

Story can take on many forms. For Tolkien and Lewis they were primary concerned with myth and legend. For our society today we are concerned with the visual stories on television and the movie screen. The reason these things are so seductive, the reason they pull us in is because they are able to show us glimpses of the life we were created to live.

One of primary thoughts John Eldredge puts forth in his books is that the stories that we love reveal to us the desires God has created in us. For example I love the movies Gladiator and The Magnificent Seven. Why? Because I long to have the courage that is displayed by Maximus and Chris (the leader of the Seven). I love The Last of the Mohicans. Why? Because I desire to be the one who rescues the Beauty from the hands of the enemy. God uses story to help us discover the longings of our hearts.

But the greatest story God uses, the one He used to reveal to us Himself, is History. History is the account of God working in this world. Notice how both Tolkien and Lewis recognize the importance of History. When we neglect the study of History, when we make stories just about us, we miss out on what God desires us to know. It is through the study and telling of History that we come face to face with the God who is seeking to redeem all of creation.

This idea of History as God’s story was very important to the first century Jew, and thus it needs to be very important to us:

This was Stephen’s reply: “Brothers and honorable fathers, listen to me. Our glorious God appeared to our ancestor Abraham in Mesopotamia before he moved to Haran” (Acts 7:2; NLT).

Stephen goes on to give a short account of History to illustrate that Jesus was indeed the One God promised long ago.

So Paul stood, lifted his hand to quiet them, and started speaking. “People of Israel,” he said, “and devout Gentiles who fear the God of Israel, listen to me” (Acts 13:16; NLT).

From that introduction Paul tells a summarized version of God working through History to bring salvation to people. Paul reminded the people of the Story they were a part of.

If we are going to reach people in this post-modern, post-Christian, and pagan age that we live in we need to return to Story. People are not going to be motivated to change because we can list 20 virtues for Christian living. Lives will not be transformed if we allow ourselves to be pulled into senseless philosophical or scientific debates. Change will only occur when people come to realize they have fallen into a story, and how they live determines what type of character they will be.

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Following Jesus' Example of Influence

The longer I follow Jesus the greater my sadness becomes for the world we live in. I am sadden because so many people are unaware that there is a better way to live their lives. Pain and sin dominate their lives and they don't even know that there is a problem. They have come to believe that this is just the way life is supposed to be and they hardly give it a second thought as they seek ways to dull the pain.

Jesus traveled through all the cities and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And wherever he went, he healed people of every sort of disease and illness. He felt great pity for the crowds that came, because their problems were so great and they didn’t know where to go for help. They were like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, “The harvest is so great, but the workers are so few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest, ask him to send out more workers for his fields” (Matthew 9:35-38; NLT).

While we may have made advances in technology since the time of Jesus the human need remains the same. People still want their lives to count for something and for their pain to mean something. The needs of people have remained the same, but they are still uncertain where to turn to for help. Casual sex, drug use, and pornography are just some indications that people are in search of some how filling the need they have in their hearts.

How should the Church(a community of Christ Followers) respond to this reality? It would seem to me that if we are truly interested in following Jesus' example then we first must develop compassion for the lost. It is my opinion that the Church I have witnessed in the United States tends to judge before we have compassion.

It is true that what the homosexual, the pornographer, and the drug user do is evil, but often their actions are the result of their search for something that will fill the need in their hearts and to heal the wounds in their spirits. Yes they are living outside of God's will, but they are also being deceived and manipulated by Satan. No matter how awful their lives may seem we need to remember that they are dying and on the road to Hell. What is even worse is that many of them don't even know let alone know where to turn for help.

The second thing we must do in order to influence these people, the way Jesus did, is to be active in their lives. In this passage we notice that Jesus took time to heal people of their sicknesses and to teach them God's truth. Quoting God's Law to people who don't accept God's authority does little good. If they don't recognize Him as having authority they certainly wrote obey His Law. The way we bring God's truth into the lives of other people is through our relationship with them. We show them that we love them and through that love relationship the influence of God's truth is able to travel.

Finally if we are going to follow Jesus' example of influence we must pray for workers. We can only do so much and influence so many people. In John 17 we notice that Jesus prayed for those people, through the centuries, who would carry on His work. We too must pray for people to go before us and come after us as we seek to bring the Good News to people. Through our prayers we make sure that God's Truth still influences people, even though we may not be directly responsible for it.

Donn Leach in What the Bible Says About Jesus wrote; “Jesus knows that many are ready to repent if only some messenger bring the good news of the kingdom to them (Matt. 9:37, 38). But more messengers are needed. God can supply more messengers if His people will pray.” Prayer is one of the most important things we can do as we seek to influence the world and thus bring about change. People are not changed by our wise words or arguments but the power of God. The power of God is best seen in our love for other people.

The first step in all of this is having compassion for the people of the world, seeing them as Jesus saw them. Jesus not only saw people’s sin, but He also saw their need. He knew that their only hope was love and truth not judgment and law. As we seek to influence the world for Jesus we have to ask ourselves the question: What am I offering people? Truth and love or law and judgment?

The Dangerous Will of God

The call of Jesus to follow Him is not a call to a life of ease. Not only is following Jesus not easy it is also not very safe. New Testament Scripture is clear that a person following Jesus will be opposed by Satan and the world. In other words we should expect to face hardships and difficulties as we bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to the world.

This mission is of supreme importance and is worth all the difficulties we might face along the way. Donn Leach in his book What the Bible says about Jesus wrote; "The importance of Jesus' mission in His own eyes is seen in that He did not hesitate to enlist people to suffer and die for it" (pg. 190). Each of the apostles, whom Jesus personally called, faced opposition from the world. These men were beaten, put into prison, and most likely all put to death, with the exception of the Apostle John (who was exiled). Jesus sent His disciples on a mission knowing that He was sending them to their deaths.

This mission is still dangerous. Jesus told us it would be:

18 "If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first.19 The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.20 Do you remember what I told you? `A slave is not greater than the master.' Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you.21 They will do all this to you because of me, for they have rejected the One who sent me (John 15:18-21; NLT).

We may not have to fear for our lives because of religious or governmental opposition, but we are still going to be opposed. Satan is not going go quietly and he is going to fight us tooth and nail. When we start making a difference for the Kingdom of God in this world we had better watch out.

I know a youth minister forced out of youth ministry by the elders because he wasn't playing by their rules, even though the youth ministry was making a difference in that community. That youth minister still hasn't returned to ministry because of the wounds he experienced.

I know another man who made a mid-life career change to enter the ministry, and now just as things in his ministry are beginning to take-off he needed to step aside to repair the relationship with his wife.

There are story after story we could tell of people who were making a difference for the Kingdom when they suddenly came under attack. Sickness, death, broken relationships, and financial problems are all ways Satan attacks us in an attempt to keep us from moving forward in our mission. If we are not prepared for these attacks they can cripple us and ultimately prevent us from becoming the people God created us to be.

One of my favorite passages of Scripture is Hebrews 11. Read what the author of this book writes in verses 35-38:

But others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free. They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection.36 Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons.37 Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half,* and others were killed with the sword. Some went about wearing skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated.38 They were too good for this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground (NLT).

The life of faith is not supposed to be easy. God has called us to live out a dangerous mission. The most dangerous place for us to be is in the center of God's will, because it is there that we will be most opposed. Is this mission from God worth risking our lives to carry out? Jesus certainly thought it was.

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United with Jesus

The Christian has a special relationship with God because of Jesus Christ. Our relationship with God is not based on anything that we have done, not by our merit, but solely on what Jesus has done. We are able to enjoy a relationship with God because we have been united with Jesus.

The first part of Romans 6 reveals three areas in which we have been united with Jesus:

1Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more kindness and forgiveness? 2Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? 3Or have you forgotten that when we became Christians and were baptized to become one with Christ Jesus, we died with him? 4For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. 5Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised as he was. 6Our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. 7For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. 8And since we died with Christ, we know we will also share his new life. 9We are sure of this because Christ rose from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. 10He died once to defeat sin, and now he lives for the glory of God. 11So you should consider yourselves dead to sin and able to live for the glory of God through Christ Jesus. ~ Romans 6:1-11; NLT

First we see that we are united with Jesus in His death (verses 1-3). This is made possible through baptism. This is one of the passages in the New Testament which remind us that the ritual of baptism was a very important part of the believer’s life. So what does this mean? Why do we want to be united with Jesus in His death? Jack Cottrell commenting on this passage wrote:

“Since Jesus died for the express purpose of taking our guilt upon Himself and paying the eternal penalty for our sins, when we are united with Him in his death our guilt is removed and our status before God is such that our penalty is considered paid. The blood that He shed in His death is applied to our guilty souls and becomes our shield to protect us from the deserved wrath of God. Thus because of this union with Christ we are forgiven or justified” (Baptism: A Biblical Study; p. 81).

It is this union with Jesus in His death which guarantees that our sins are taken care of. We have put our faith in Jesus and His death to cleanse us from our sins.

Second we see that we are united with Jesus in His resurrection (verses 4-6). Jesus may have been crucified and killed, but He did not remain dead. The power of Jesus is ultimately seen in His resurrection, not His death. The death of Jesus means nothing without the resurrection.

When we are united with Jesus in His resurrection means that we have a new life. Whoever we were before our baptism no longer exists, and now we have a new life. Even though we still live in the flesh, when we follow the Holy Spirit’s leading and live a life of faith, our lives change. It is a process that continues to happen as long as we live in our current bodies, but our hearts shift from being selfish to selfless, and we begin love God with our entire beings.

Not only are we given new lives, but being united with Jesus in His resurrection also guarantees that when we die, physically, that we will be raised to spend eternity with God. When we are united with Jesus we have hope of eternal life.

Third we see that we are united with Jesus in His freedom (verses 7-11). Sin no longer has control over us. We now have a choice on how we will live. Rick Warren in The Purpose Driven Life wrote; “On the path to spiritual maturity, even temptation becomes a stepping-stone rather than a stumbling block when you realize it is just as much an occasion to do the right thing as it is to do the wrong thing. Temptation simply provides the choice” (p. 201). No longer do we have to follow our sinful desires, but we have a choice. Now we have the option to follow where Jesus leads.

The commands of God are not restricting, rather they help us to avoid the enslaving nature of sin. Jesus understood this freedom during His time on earth. He was perfectly obedient to God’s will, and thus Jesus escaped being enslaved by sin. When we are united with Jesus we are given the opportunity to experience the freedom from sin as we live a life of faith and obedience.

Christians are united with Jesus and this gives us a special relationship with God. Since we have been given this wonderful opportunity we need to take advantage of it and discover the life God has planned for us. We need to live a life which will reflect the glory and love of the One who has given us so much.

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Making an Apology

In the first couple of centuries after the resurrection of Jesus a lot of misconceptions about who his followers were, what they believed, and how they worshipped serviced throughout the Roman Empire. The common charge against Christians was that of atheism because the pagans had a difficulty grasping the concept of one God. Rumors of orgies and cannibalism during Christian worship spread through the Empire. The fact that the early church was largely made up of underclass people and slaves made it suspect to upper-class.

In order to explain themselves different individuals attempted to write formal "apologies." In the Greek this means: a response to an accusation, explaining why a person believed or acted in a certain way (A History of the Church: From Pentecost to Present, James B. North, pg. 39). There was a need to explain themselves to the culture in which they lived. It is difficult enough to follow Christ in this world without having to deal with misunderstandings and false accusations. According to James North these apologists had two objectives:

on the one hand they were trying to answer the false rumors that were current about them, gross misunderstandings and untruths; on the other hand they were trying to gain a hearing for Christianity and explain its fundamental doctrines (A History of the Church; p. 39).

Living in the 21st Century we are again in need of apologists. The apologists of the last century, of the modern age, who gave us a rational reason to follow Jesus and evidence for the truthfulness of God's Word did a marvelous job. The Church needed people like C. S. Lewis and Josh McDowell to answer the challenges the Church was facing during that time.

Now as our culture moves away from the scientific method as the means for determining truth we once again need new apologists willing to provide carefully considered responses to the challenges the Church is facing today. We still need people willing to carry the torch of Lewis and McDowell, but there is a need of a different kind of apologist today as well.

This type of apologist must be able to use story to convey truth. As J. R. R. Tolkien wrote; I believe that legends and myths are largely made of "truth," and indeed present aspects of it that can only be received in this mode (Finding God in the Lord of the Rings, pg. x). Many of the people who would be classified as "postmodern," aren't as concerned about if it actually happened as they are about the "ring" of truth. Does it sound right? Does it make sense? A skillful storyteller can weave God's truth into a story and thus gain the ear of a person.

This type of apologist must be able to make the complex simple. Too often preachers and theologians take the simple and make it complex and in the process turn people off to what is being said. People are just not interested in what the Greek says or what some dead guy thought about this verse or that passage. To be honest sometimes I find it hard to care about those things. We need people able to make God's truth relevant to the lives of people again. People will listen if what they are being told is easy to understand and relevant to their daily lives.

This type of apologist must be a scholar. He/she must be grounded in God's word and have a grasp on the doctrine of the Christian faith. To be honest one of the weaknesses of the Church today is that her leadership is not very scholarly. Too much of our doctrine comes from the "pop-Christianity" books sold at Christian Bookstores and are better trained at growing a business than leading a local Church family. Only when we know what we believe can we clearly and simply articulate it to others.

Times are changing and as times change so do the challenges that face the Church. We must be ready to meet these challenges in an adequate fashion. So while the methods of sharing the Gospel and defending the Faith may change the Truth upon which they are built does not. The reason the Church is able to adapt to change is the because of the firm foundation of Truth that She is built on. That is something we can hold on to as we seek to impact the world.

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Pleasure through Morality

“This is the great lost truth of the Christian faith, that correction of Judaism made by Jesus and passed on to us: the goal of morality is not morality—it is ecstasy. You are intended for pleasure!” ~ John Eldredge; The Journey of Desire

One of the great lies the human race has believed from the Beginning is that pleasure is found outside of morality. To often we believe that pleasure is found by breaking the rules and living the moment. God's Law, or morality, seems to stand in the way of our having a good time. The party mentality isn’t just something new invented by students on college campuses, but has gone back thousands of years. So many people have given their lives away to the party in an attempt to feel good.

Morality seems to be God's attempt to keep us from having a good time. Morality tells us not to get drunk or high. Morality tells us that sex should be between a man and a woman, and then only within the bounds of marriage. Morality says to be a servant to other people, even though by serving you will have to sacrifice your personal time and money. Morality seems dull compared to the party. How can pleasure come through doing the right thing?

Ravi Zacharias talks about this issue in his book Cries of the Heart. “For true pleasure the price is paid before it is enjoyed. For false pleasure the price is paid after it is enjoyed” (Ravi Zacharias; Cries of the Heart; p. 142). There is no doubt that illicit sex and pornography bring pleasure to people, if they didn’t people wouldn’t participate in them. The high of drugs, which include alcohol, gives people pleasure, which is one reason people continue to use them even in the face of negative consequences. Yet are these the types of pleasures God created us to enjoy? God created us to experience pleasures which add joy to our lives, not pleasures which enslave us.

The bottom line is that the false pleasures so many people chase after end up costing them in the long run. The cost is seen in disease, broken relationships, crime, and an empty life which they desperately want to change. To ignore morality and to embrace pleasure may seem fun in the short term, but it is going to cost in the long run.

To pay the cost of morality, to practice self-control, and to obey the commands of Jesus bring happiness and joy, the greatest forms of pleasure. Ultimately pleasure isn’t about the feelings produced by a high or an orgasm, but about the love one has for others and the knowledge that his/her life has been productive. False pleasures tear down the trust and love needed to produce loving relationships and lasting achievements. Relationships are the key to experiencing the pleasure God intended for us to have.

Put into the bigger picture of eternity the life lived in pursuit of false pleasures will pay the ultimate price of being separated from the source of Love and Joy, God; while the life lived in faith and laying down of wills will experience the ultimate relationship with the Creator. God wants us to experience pleasure! The question is are you going to sell out to the fleeting pleasures of the party, or are you going to pay the price to experience pleasure the way it was meant to be? That is the choice God has given you to make.

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A Change in Culture

I have been thinking the past few days how much the United States has changed in the past 100 years. In many ways we can look at our culture and see that it has taken a turn for the worst. Sure there are many good things that we have access to that weren’t around 50 years ago let alone 100, but our morals and values seem to have sunken to all time lows.

Take for example the terrible tragedy in Bailey, CO this past week. This sort of thing was unheard of a generation ago, but violence and sexual assaults are becoming an all too frequent part of life for us today. In some aspects it seems like we are coming to accept them as a part of life. A tragedy but something we have no control over.

Why has our culture taken this dreadful turn? In the first century a handful of Christ-Followers impacted an empire. In this past century hundreds of thousands of Christians were unable to influence the direction of a nation. This loss of influence has not been due to a lack of political influence. One could argue that the Church in the United States is more political than ever before, and still things go from bad to worse.

Part of the problem has been complacency. During that short period of time (remember the frontier in the United States was a godless place) when it appeared that everyone lived according to God’s law the Church in the United States went to sleep. It seemed like everyone was a Christian and that the United States was a Christian nation. They were not conscious of the changes that were taking place in this country and had no clue how the new forms of media (music, movies, and television) were going to influence the nations values.

A second part of the problem is that faith became more of an intellectual pursuit rather than a lifestyle. Evangelism became about convincing people that God existed and Jesus rose from the dead. So Christians took up the task of debating and trying to prove to the world that we are right, while missing the pain that was actually at the root of the questions people asked.

A third part is that “Christian” became a sub-culture. Christian bookstores selling Christian music, books, and collectibles came into existence drawing a line between Secular and Godly. Rather than engaging the culture around us we sought to separate ourselves from it. One of the results of this are shallow Christians who never get past the pop-Christianity that is sold in many of these stores.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is Good News. It is Good News for me, for you, the Muslim in Los Angeles, the Jew in New York, the Hindu in Phoenix, the agnostic in Seattle, or the atheist in Washington. The Gospel is Good News for everyone, whether they accept it as Truth or not, because it impacts the lives of those who believe. When I am a follower of Christ I am a better citizen, neighbor, enemy, friend, son, brother, and husband (hopefully). Living out the Gospel I impact the lives of all those around me, and thus I influence the direction of the culture.

How can we reverse the direction our culture is taking? We live out the Gospel of Jesus Christ with our lives.